What does it mean to preserve ebooks? Just the text? The experience? Links, multimedia

In what format should digital format be preserved? Will it serve us in the future?

Who’s responsible/ who owns them? Library, publisher, aggregator, author? Who has the right to make backup files?

What are the trigger events? Items kept secure until checked out.

Can I move to a different interface? Do I have the right to take my archive files with me and take them to another aggregator? Is the content provider saving items in format that will work in any interface?

Do I have the ability/right to remove a title that needs weeding? Is it completely removed? Or is it stored somewhere else I can access it in case it’s discovered that I do need it again?

Who pays for preservation? Built into price of book? Access fees? Separate access fee? Or just the cost of doing business?Rolf – publisher

Publisher is involved with beginning, middle and end of content creation.

Big issue from publisher perspective is resourcing. Dollars and cents. Who pays for preservation. Publishers have the basic responsibility to participate in all the major digital preservation initiatives. LOCKSS CLOCKSS

Also need to make the investment to protect the version of record. Hard to determine because there are so many dynamic items out there.

Aggregators – a growing and preferred purchasing sector. Every publisher licenses their content to several. Who’s protecting who? Is publisher protecting aggregator who protects libraries? Or something else? What is aggregator’s mission? Contractual issue – preservation doesn’t come up in discussions with aggregators. The legal language is going to be the ultimate protector in how we tighten up issue between publisher and aggregator.

Preservation Before Dissemination

When publisher creates content we need to start thinking about preservation before dissemination. Be strategic. Proactive- plan for change is the most difficult thing for a publisher to do. Still live in book world. Need to be collaborative with aggregators and libraries. Knowing that not everything will be resolved, but publisher needs to wake up and figure out how on a collective level we can create a safer environment for content. Digital preservation is something that every publisher needs to start creating - an operational model that is resourced. Create some standards, have a profound effect on how we can protect the content that you own.

Light archive – the aggregated databases that exist today, either thru aggregator or publisher. Collection of ebooks on a platform that can be accessed by users on platform.

Dark archive – creating a repository to ensure that if there’s some event that warrants it that there is still the ability of your users to access the content. Closed, tightly guarded. Only reason someone should need to go in is to inventory, make sure it’s all there in case needed.

Is the text all we need to preserve?

Publisher owns copyright and original file. Publisher’s decision for what becomes the item of record.

Portico – take publisher’s original file, create normalized version of file – all in same format.

CLOCKSS – take capture of last user interface version, prior to a trigger event, and preserve that.

Who is responsible for preserving ebooks?

Publisher owns rights to book initially, grants rights to aggregator to release books. Can also grant rights to organization to preserve. Rights can be assigned to others.

What are ebook trigger events?

Publisher exits business or ebook no longer offered anywhere. Publisher has to approve trigger. Not a trigger – if aggregator exits business, because books are still available elsewhere. If library stops paying for access to platform. Same reason.

Weeding ebooks

Platforms were designd to be additive, unlimited shelf space. What is the right treatment? Choose archive as status, actually just hidden, later access can be reenabled. Manually, or ‘checked’ out? Permanently deleting? Entitled to dark archive version?

Who pays?

We all do. Publisher is owner- should preserve book. Consensus seems to be in at least 2 places. Aggregator putting redundancy in platforms and copy in dark archive. Library – up front fees or ongoing access fees. Preservation efforts.